


The Golden Arrow

by sneakronicity



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Bucky Barnes - Freeform, Community: trope_bingo, F/M, Gen, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Pepper Potts - Freeform, Rhodey - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-05
Updated: 2013-05-05
Packaged: 2017-12-10 12:51:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/786239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sneakronicity/pseuds/sneakronicity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is probably the most famous tale of The Mighty Marksman and his Avengers.  (AKA the Avengers cast as Robin Hood and his Merry Men.  Sort of)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Golden Arrow

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Trope Bingo prompt "Historical AU". This fic is pretty much pure crack but I hope y'all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Would love to hear some thoughts on it.

A long time ago there lived an archer who was considered the greatest in all the lands by friends and enemies alike.The Mighty Marksman, they called him, a man loved by the poor and hated by the rich, though there were even some among the well to do who could not help but admire him.It was not all that long before this story takes place that this marksman, Clint by name, had been Lord Barton, one of their own, until he became too fed up with the injustices around him and aimed to fix them.This put him at odds with the Loki, the Sheriff of Midgardingham, and it wasn’t long until he had become an outlaw and had to flee his lands.He found shelter and solace in the Forest of Manhattan where he met many a man who would become his allies and would fight with him as his Avengers.

First there was Puny Thor, playfully called so for his immense size; it was said he could strike a man so hard that the blow sounded like a clap of thunder.Next came Steve Sapphire, dressed always in blue; he was soft spoken, mild mannered, but the best strategist you could ever meet and one of the few who could stand toe-to-toe with Thor and still be, well,standing.Thirdly was Tony A Stark, a terrible minstrel but a relative genius; he could fashion weapons of the like never before seen out of any scraps of material available.And last but not least was the good Friar Bruce; he was kind and friendly, but give him too much to drink or make him angry and he was a completely different person. Who ever said that Friars couldn’t fight with the best of them?

I know what you’re thinking, this all sounds rather familiar, but I assure you that despite the similarities this is not a story of _that_ archer and his Merry Men.Mostly.

There are many tales told of the Mighty Marksman and his Avengers, but today I am going to tell you perhaps one of the most famous: the tale of the Golden Arrow.

No, not _that_ story.Just forget about that other archer for a while and humour me, okay?

One day the evil Sheriff of Midgardingham decided it was high time he rid himself of the aggravation of the Mighty Marksman once and for all and came up with a brilliant plan to do so.Clint Barton appeared selfless by robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, but while he truly did enjoy helping people and wanted to make the world fair for everyone, a great deal of his actions had to do with his ego.He loved the fame and notoriety his actions gave him, and celebrated every time the price on his head rose. Above all else he took pride in his marksmanship so the Sheriff knew that holding an archery tournament would be almost too tempting to resist.One last little incentive ensured the outlaw’s appearance: the tournament was to be a celebration to honour the engagement of Loki and the Lady Natasha, King Fury’s ward.Clint’s adoration for Lady Natasha was well known, and while she had always publicly spurned his advances that had hardly cooled the fire in his heart. 

The plan was perfect and Loki wasted no time in beginning the preparations and getting the word out.

 

  
~~~

“An archery tournament!He really thinks you’re stupid enough to fall for that?” Tony exclaimed, laughing as he held up the parchment he had taken while visiting the town earlier that day.His laughter faded when he saw the look on Clint’s face that clearly stated that their leader was considering it.“Oh no, you really _are_ that stupid aren’t you?”

Now it was Clint’s turn to laugh as he snatched the parchment away.“Come on, Tony.It’s an obvious trap. Do you really think I’m going to just walk in there and…” he trailed off as his eyes fell upon Lady Natasha’s name, and the words that felt like an arrow through his heart: _‘…celebrate the engagement of the beautiful Lady Natasha to our esteemed Sheriff of Midgardingham…’_

Clint’s expression grew dark.

“We’re losing him!Quick, Thor, knock some sense into him!” Tony cried out but Thor had been paying little attention to what they were discussing since the mention of the Sheriff’s name.You see, dear readers, our _esteemed_ Sheriff Loki was the brother of Puny Thor, and it was Loki himself who had framed his brother and turned him to an outlaw.Needless to say, Thor wasn’t much for joining in discussions about his brother and tended to fall into a brooding mood when the topic was broached, which it so often was.

“Engaged?” Friar Bruce had gotten hold of the parchment now and was looking at it with his brow furrowed in confusion.“This has to be another of his tricks.She would never agree to it.”

“You’re assuming he gave her a choice,” Clint replied, his voice low and dangerous.

“But this is Lady Natasha,” Steve jumped into the conversation as he took the announcement from Bruce.“She never does anything she doesn’t want to do.I agree with Friar Bruce, it has to be a trick.”

“Well, I guess I’ll find out when I win the tournament,” Clint said, turning and walking off to start on a disguise and ignoring the various groans and protests behind him.

 

  
~~~

“Engagement?” Lady Natasha fumed, slamming the announcement down on the desk in front of Loki.She hadn’t knocked, hadn’t waited for admittance before storming into the room to confront him.“I never agreed to this.”

“Hello, darling. Yes, please come in.No, I am never too busy for you,” Loki deadpanned, raising his eyes slowly to meet Natasha’s.If looks could kill, he would be dead thrice over.

“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded, stabbing at the parchment with her finger.

“I believe it is announcing our engagement.I thought that was rather self-explanatory,” he said, throwing a casual glance at the paper before trying to push it aside and get back to work.Natasha made this rather difficult by flattening her hand over it and holding it in place on the desk.

“An engagement that was never discussed!How dare you-“ she began her tirade but was quickly cut off by his laughter.It only made her angrier.

“Oh, but it was discussed,” Loki replied, “Just not with you.”Before she could vent her building rage he continued.“I discussed the idea with Prince Justin and he was rather excited about it.He agreed immediately on your behalf.He only regretted he could not be here for the party, as he has business elsewhere.”

Natasha’s rage was quickly tempered, replaced with a sinking feeling of dread.“Prince Justin does not-“

“Prince Justin is the regent for King Fury, and while our brave King is off fighting wars and winning battles the responsibilities of the kingdom fall to the prince, and those responsibilities include _you_ , my dear.”

Natasha turned away from him, her shoulders sagging slightly.Behind her back, Loki smirked.

“Is it such a terrible thing, the very idea of being married to one of the most powerful men in Midgardingham?Or is it that you’ve already given your heart to someone else…” he baited, watching her closely as her head tilted just the slightest bit, turning her ear toward him as he spoke.Slowly she turned back around to face him, her expression completely changed.The anger had faded into wariness, but he could see that he had clearly piqued her interest.

“I can assure you my heart still remains my own,” she said.Her eyes seemed to study him, measure him up.“You _are_ a very powerful man,” she agreed, “would it be naïve of me to assume that as your wife I would gain a certain amount of power of my own?”

The grin this comment received was positively wicked, like one might imagine a spider grinning that had caught a fly in its web.“Few women would be more powerful than you.”

Natasha seemed to consider this before finally returning his smile.“Had you told me this from the beginning and merely asked for my hand I would have accepted.For future reference.”

“And now?” Loki inquired.

“Not that it matters, as you have prematurely made the announcement, but yes, I still accept,” she replied, offering her hand which he took and placed a kiss onto the back of. 

“I knew we were more alike than you cared to admit,” he said, smug with victory. “There is nothing in life more enticing than power.Anyone who says otherwise is only lying.”

“Or too proud to admit that they are too weak to obtain any,” Natasha replied as Loki released her hand.The comment won her a chuckle and she smiled enticingly before turning away.“Now if you will excuse me I must meet with the seamstress.I cannot be expected to attend my own engagement party in an old frock.”

Loki bid her adieu and only when she was back in the passageway, the door closed firmly behind her, did she let her smile fall, her face turning expressionless apart from a distinct darkness in her eyes.The engagement, the archery tournament; she knew exactly what the sheriff’s true goal was and she also knew that Clint would not disappoint.He would be there, and he would win, and what followed was anyone’s guess at this point.The only certainty was that this would be an engagement party to remember.

 

  
~~~

The day of the big event arrived and the castle gates were opened to allow the villagers inside to partake in all the festivities.Carts were set up where people hocked their wares; children ran around with sticks and string, pretending to be archers; and the air was filled with smells both pleasant and foul, and with sounds of laughter and merriment.

Archers came from all the outlying counties to take part in the tournament and by the end of registration they numbered well over a hundred.Targets were set up on the large castle grounds while rich and poor alike crowded the surrounding area, filling the stands and jockeying for the closest standing room. 

Guards were stationed all around, but if they were looking for a friar they didn’t notice a baker; if they were looking for a minstrel they didn’t notice the man carving wooden swords for children; the dark cloaked beggar wore no blue; the drunkard passed out by a barrel of mead was curled up far too tiny to be a towering brute; and of course the old man with the scraggly beard and limping shuffle was far too feeble to be the greatest marksman in the land.These same guards were also unaware that there were more than a few hidden among the crowd that they should watch for, people whose allegiances lay not with the Prince or the Sheriff, but with the Avengers.There was Lady Sif and her three brothers, all childhood friends of Thor and Loki; Pepper Potts and James Rhodes, Tony A Stark’s long-suffering housekeeper and his best friend and business partner, respectively; and let’s not forget young James Barnes, affectionately called ‘Bucky’, former squire to Sapphire Steve.These are just a few among many too numerous to list here; I do have an actual story to tell after all, so let’s get back to that, shall we?

The first group of archers had lined up before their targets when Loki and the Lady Natasha stepped up upon the dais, hand in hand, to address all who had gathered.Dressed in an elaborate gown of red and black she looked absolutely stunning, and it was all Clint could do to keep his head lowered and his stance sufficiently stooped. 

Loki spoke at length of the Prince, the King, the wars raging elsewhere; of the lands, the people, this tournament meant to give them a day to forget their worries; of his engagement, the celebration, his future wife’s beauty; basically he spoke a lot and said very little of consequence so I won’t be recalling it all here.They were the words of a man who took great joy in hearing himself speak.

Throughout his speech Natasha stood dutifully beside him, glancing his way enough to show interest but otherwise letting her eyes roam over the crowd and the archers gathered in particular.There were many faces she recognized but others who were foreign to her, and although she couldn’t pick _him_ out among them (a relief, to be sure), she knew he was there.

Finally the speech was concluded, the ‘happy couple’ took their seats and the tournament began.Arrow flew swiftly and the sounds of them lodging in the targets filled the air, accompanied by cheering or booing from the gathered crowd.As the day wore on the number of contestants dwindled steadily, most of them accepting their defeat gracefully although there were a few minor tantrums; these were the ones the crowd enjoyed most. 

In the end it came down to two, one of Prince Justin’s own marksmen and an old man with a stooped back, scraggly beard and a worn hat shading his eyes.A hush fell over the crowd as the old man drew his arm back, pausing only a moment to aim before loosing the arrow. 

It struck his target dead centre and the crowd roared in excitement.A perfect shot!Surely nobody could compare!But as the royal marksman took his own shot they gasped as it matched that of his opponent.A draw.Pandemonium was nigh, there had to be a true winner, this couldn’t end in a draw!The crowd demanded a resolution, and while Sheriff Loki stood and held up a hand, trying to quiet them down and announce a solution the old man beat him to it.Drawing another arrow he aimed and fired so swiftly many didn’t even see him do so.There was nowhere for the arrow to go, the centre of the bullseye was already occupied.

This second arrow cleft the first in twain, striking dead centre once again.

At first a stunned silence fell over the whole area, not even a bird dared chirp and break it.Then the cheering that followed was wild and deafening.The royal marksman tried to take his shot amongst it all but he was far too rattled and his second shot barely penetrated the centre ring.The day had its winner.

“I invite the victor to please approach and claim his prize!” Loki called above the excitement and the old man did as he was bid.He stopped before the raised platform, head lowered in what could have been construed as respect.“You have my permission to kiss my lady’s hand and accept your trophy.”

Natasha didn’t appreciate being referred to as anyone’s possession but she showed no outward sign of this distaste.Taking the beautifully forged golden arrow she turned her full attention to the champion.The disguise was good, she couldn’t deny that, and it had taken her at least half of the tournament to pick him out among the contestants.When he raised his eyes to meet hers, eyes so blue and familiar, had she any lingering doubts they would have been banished.

“Congratulations,” she said as she extended her hand to him.“It was a delight to watch such skill in action.”

“You are far too kind,” Clint replied, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing the back of it gently.“And far too beautiful.”Raising his gaze again their eyes locked in a very heavy look before she recovered and handed him the arrow before turning back to her betrothed.

“I present to you your champion...” Loki announced.He had watched the entire proceedings with interest and it was now time for his own victory.“The Mighty Marksman of the Forest of Manhattan!”The name drew a great gasp from the crowd and before anyone could truly react the guards had moved in and seized Clint, stripping him of his bow and arrows and pinning his arms behind him.“A clever disguise, _Lord_ Barton,” the Sheriff goaded in triumph, “but your ego is your downfall.I knew you could not resist coming here and I knew once here you would have to win.”

Nobody noticed the figures moving within the crowd, assuming they were just pushing to get a front row seat.All eyes were on the Sheriff and his prisoner.

“I must say, I am flattered you would risk being caught just to attend my engagement party, but then she does have the kind of beauty that is hard to resist, does she not?” When Clint said nothing Loki nodded to one of the guards who wrenched the archer’s arm painfully.“Answer.”

“There is nothing more beautiful in the world,” Clint answered, his eyes moving to Natasha and fixing upon her. 

Loki’s gaze never left the face of his own prize, delighting in every hint of pain that showed upon it.“Do you love her?”

“Until my dying breath,” Clint said with the utmost sincerity, his lips curling up into an adoring smile. 

 “I shall not leave you waiting much longer for that,” Loki said with as joyful a sneer as possible.“Well, my dear, what do you…” he began to say, but as he finally turned his attention to Natasha he felt a sharp prick somewhere very sensitive and his eyes widened.While all eyes had been on the two men, all but Clint’s, she had removed the blade that had been concealed in her hair and now held it rather firmly at Loki’s groin.A second seemed to materialize in her other hand near his throat now that the attention had already turned her way. 

 “I think it is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard,” she said.“Now release him or a head will roll, and I care not which one.” 

 “Ah, so you did allow this thief to steal your heart,” he replied, and her lips curled upwards slightly in return.

 “You mistake me.My heart will always be my own, but I did allow him into it.”She didn’t dare move her eyes from her tricky captive but she could feel Clint’s gaze still upon her.“Now do as I say and let him go.”When Loki hesitated she drove her point home, so to speak, by pressing both blades just a little closer.

 “Release him!” Loki squeaked and his guards did as they were told, leaving go of the prisoner and stepping back.Now free, Clint got back to his feet and retrieved his bow and arrows.

 “Now you will order them to remain here and you will come with us until we are safely beyond the castle walls.”Again she pressed the knife against him, the one at his neck biting into skin and releasing the first drop of blood that would be spilled that day.

 Unfortunately, it would not be the last.

 Without warning an arrow zipped through the air, grazing Natasha’s arm before imbedding itself in the pillar beside her, an arrow loosed by the forgotten royal marksman.Sucking in a breath her grip faltered slightly and it was the small opening Loki needed.Striking out at her arm and jumping away, he shrieked orders at his guards and all hell broke loose.

 The crowd of peasants and nobles alike fought the royal guards just as much as they fought among themselves, archers drew their weapons sending arrows flying in all directions, and as Loki slunk away the handful of guards that had been holding Clint advanced upon him and Natasha. 

 Clint managed to block the parries with his bow and fight back with his feet while Natasha took out one of the guards with her knives and procured a sword to give her the added distance.It wasn’t long after that before she had a second in her hand which she quickly tossed to Clint.It was too close to fire off any arrows, and more guards were closing in by the minute.

 “So… engaged?” Clint spoke, putting his back to hers as they fought.They moved fluidly together, protecting each other as much as they protected themselves.

 “Apparently, though I do believe that threatening to cut off my betrothed’s manhood probably dissolves that engagement,” Natasha replied with a smirk, striking a soldier on the helmet with the side of her sword and causing him to stumble away, ears ringing.

 “Ah,” Clint exclaimed with a wide grin, “So you are free to marry whoever you wish then?”

 “Duck,” she commanded and they both dropped down as a sword swung over their heads.Sweeping out her leg she took the man’s feet out from under him.Considering the words a moment, she replied, “Yes, I suppose I am.”

 Back on his feet Clint clashed swords with a guard and brought his foot up to kick the man in the chest, sending him back into the one behind him. “How about me?”

 There was no pause in the fighting to indicate any surprise, but Natasha scoffed at the question. “If that is your idea of a proposal then I indignantly refuse. I know you can do better.” She knew because he had, just moments ago, with his confession of love.

 “Very well,” was Clint’s only reply before he was absorbed in the fighting again. 

 “Very well?” Natasha repeated.She was having none of that.“Perhaps I should have married the sheriff and left you to hang.”

 Clint laughed.“You are a cruel woman, but I love you nonetheless,” he replied, dispatching of another of the quickly dwindling number of guard that had singled them out.The crows was expanding, overrunning, and the sheriff’s men had more to worry about than the outlaw and the lady.“Very well, you shall have your proposal,” Clint announced grandly, punctuating the declaration with a flourish of his sword.“Lady Natasha Romanova, I may be the thief but you have stolen my heart with your strength, your wit, and your beauty.”Another kick, another guard went down.“My lips still burn from the memory of our last kiss, my heart yearns for you every moment of every day and every night.Circumstances have made me an outlaw and it is unfair of me to ask you to put aside your station and consent to be my wife, but I _must_ ask, for to continue to live without you is worse torture than any dungeon master could inflict.”Taking out another guard Clint turned and dropped to his knee just as Natasha sidestepped her last attacker.The two remaining guards impaled each other and fell to the side.“Natasha, my dearest love, will you marry me?”

 Looking around them and noting that they had a small reprieve, she fixed her eyes on his and smiled.“Now that was a proposal,” she said.

 “And that wasn’t an answer,” he replied.“Say yes, or strike me down now and put me out of my misery.”He spread his arms wide in an overdramatic manner to bare his chest to her sword.Smiling wider and shaking her head, she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to his feet instead.

 “Yes. Of course it’s yes.”And she wasted no time in kissing him soundly to seal the deal.Breaking away rather roughly, it was pretty much impossible for either of them to smile any wider at this point.“Now let’s get out of here.”

 “Yes ma’am,” Clint replied.While Natasha covered his back he took his bow from around his shoulder and drew an arrow from his quiver.Extracting a small pouch from his belt he attached it to the arrowhead and leapt up onto the raised platform that held the sheriff’s abandoned chair.Lighting this pouch on a nearby torch, the archer fired the arrow into the air where it soared high above them all before exploding in a loud show of coloured sparks.Grinning at the effect and making note to commend Tony for it later, Clint jumped back down to rejoin Natasha as they made for the gate.

 Now while all this was happening and chaos ensued all around them, we must not forget our disgraced sheriff.As soon as his guards had attacked the Mighty Marksman and his lady love, Loki had scrambled away, but unfortunately for him he didn’t make it very far.See, there was one among this rioting crowd that had fixated solely on him, and as he ran for the castle he was knocked off his feet from behind by what appeared to be a very large mallet. Fortunately for him it had been thrown softly.

 “This is all your doing, brother.I would hate for you to leave and miss the results of all your good work,” a voice boomed from above him.Loki winced more at the voice than the pain, and while he didn’t need to roll over and look up at the figure to know who it was, he much preferred to do so of his own accord than to be forced to it.

 “The tournament is over, why should I remain?” Loki replied with a sardonic grin.

 “Look at what your rule has brought upon this land!” Thor exclaimed, gesturing to the fighting around them.

 “Oh no, dear brother, this is not my rule.I am but a servant to our beloved Prince Justin,” Loki chided in a condescending tone, shaking his head and pushing himself up to lean on his elbows.

 “Prince Justin is an arrogant fool,” Thor retorted.“You use that silver tongue of yours to bend him to your will.He only _thinks_ that it is he who rules.”

 “Be careful, Thor, that is treasonous talk.Because you are my brother I allowed for only banishment before, but if you continue to speak like this it will be execution next time.”

 “My being your brother is the very reason you falsely accused me!”The pain and anger showed clearly on Thor’s face as he loomed over Loki’s fallen form, and these feelings also served as a worthwhile distraction.“You broke our mother’s heart.” 

 “No, I believe it was you who did that when you turned outlaw, but worry not, for bringing you to justice will bring her great relief.” And with that the sheriff threw a handful of dirt into Thor’s face while simultaneously kicking out hard at his knee.The attack had the desired effect of throwing him off and allowing Loki to gain his footing, but then the real fight ensued.The two were fairly evenly matched for while Thor was much stronger, Loki was quicker and managed to evade many of the hits that would have knocked down even the largest of men.In the end it was what seemed like a miscalculation that found him locked in a bear hug, the breath being squeezed from his lungs, but it was yet another ruse, a way to get close, so he could drive the literal knife in Thor’s back to accompany the figurative one he had left there months ago.It was enough to make the larger man loosen his hold and fall to one knee.

 “Brute strength is only of so much use, brother.Your lack of intelligence has always been your downfall, and today it will finally be the end of you.Puny Thor indeed.An apt description of that brain of yours,” Loki taunted, brandishing his knife and preparing to make the killing blow. “Any last words for our dear mother?”

 “Yes,” Thor gasped.In a flash he grabbed his fallen mallet and struck Loki square in the chest. The Sheriff fell again and Thor wasted no time in pinning him down, the mallet held firmly against his neck.It was also at this time that Clint’s signal arrow exploded overhead.It was the sign they had all agreed on, the one that meant they were to escape and regroup in the forest.He paid it no heed. “I shall tell her that, in the end, you were sorry for all the pain you caused her.”

 He pressed the handle firmer against Loki’s throat eliciting a gasp of “mercy!” and it was a wonder Thor heard it at all, so filled with rage and heartache.This was how Steve found him and though he tried to speak to him the words were barely heard.

 “Mercy?” Thor scoffed, laughing bitterly.“You have disgraced me, dishonoured me, had me banished from this land, and now you ask of me mercy?What reason have I to be merciful to you?”

 “Thor, please, we have to go!” Steve tried again.They each had another of the group that they were responsible for finding before they left, for ensuring that they made it out safe: Tony and Bruce were to escape together, and Steve was to gather Thor. 

 “Brother...” Loki croaked and Thor’s eyes flashed.It was not the right thing to say at all. 

 “A true brother would not have done what you did!”

 “Thor, we have to go!”

 “A true brother would never have betrayed me as you did!”

 “Thor!”

 “But a true brother _will_ show you mercy by making your death quick and delivering you from all the evil you have wrought!”

 “Thor, stop this, now!” This time it was not Steve’s voice that rose above all the others, but this time it finally seemed to break through.Tearing his eyes away from Loki, Thor fixed them on the dark haired beauty who crouched beside him, her expression imploring him as well as her words.“You will get no relief from killing him,” the Lady Sif said.“You will only be fulfilling the claim he has already placed against you by becoming a true outlaw and killer.”Thor’s hold slackened.“This revenge will only fill you with regret.Let him go.”

 Thor seemed to sag under the weight of her words, or perhaps his injury finally caught up with him.Falling back, Steve caught him easily and helped him to his feet just as Bucky approached to inform him that he had horses waiting outside the gate for them.

 Coughing and clutching his throat, Loki moved to sit, grinning charmingly at Sif. 

 “Thank you, my lady,” he said, but the look he received in return would have struck him dead if such power existed.

 "I did not do it for you,” she replied coldly before punching him hard across the face, knocking him out.

 The fighting had started to dwindle and the crowd disperse as the four made their escape, and by the time they reached the outskirts of the forest their number had grown to seven as Sif’s three brothers joined them.They disappeared like shades into the depths of the forest.

 ~~~  


Sheriff Loki had thought his plan to be foolproof, but one with so much hate in his heart could not possibly take into account the power of love and loyalty.The trap had been set to catch one outlaw, five had attended the event, and by the time they all met in the deep forest again their numbers had more than doubled.

That night there was a great feast to celebrate their victory.Thor’s wound had been tended and he now sat surrounded by his childhood friends, drinking and laughing merrily as they spoke of all the good times they’d had in the past.Bucky’s attention was rapt upon Steve as the squire listened to all the stories of his outlaw adventures.Tony introduced Bruce to Pepper and James, and the Friar found endless entertainment in the way the two ribbed on the former Lord Stark.And last but, but certainly not least, the Mighty Marksman sat amidst them all, speaking animatedly to the various other villagers who had joined them, but his eyes rarely strayed from his newly betrothed.He had fussed over her injury when they had first returned until she had threatened to give him one of his own to worry about, and now she sat in her regal dress somehow looking like she had always belonged among the trees and the bushes.

 As the night wore on they all slowly retreated to various places to sleep, Tony already making plans for an expanded camp in the trees to hold their newly bloated numbers, and the young couple was able to slip away somewhere quiet and deserted.

 “So it seems you have lost your spy in the castle,” Natasha said as they walked, hand-in-hand, through the forest.

 “A pity, but I can always find another spy,” Clint replied.

 “Oh, am I so easily replaced?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in mock insult, but the smile that played on her lips was a dead giveaway.Still, he stopped and turned to her with nothing but adoration in his eyes.

 “Hardly,” he said, slipping his hand from hers only to wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her close.“You made an excellent spy, but I have to admit... I’m glad you’re away from there.”

 “Why?Worried I may have fallen for the Sheriff’s charms had I stayed longer?” she teased, earning a laugh.

 “That man has all the charm of a snake and twice the venom,” Clint replied, but his expression soon fell to complete sincerity again.“No, not worried of that, just... worried.Had you been found out, had you gotten caught trying to send messages to me...”

 “But I didn’t,” she cut him off, sliding her arms around his neck.“And now you need not worry about it anymore.Now I am here, an I am yours.”

 “Mine, huh?” Clint replied, his lips turning up in a slow grin.“I thought you didn’t give your heart away.”

 “Hmm, you are right,” she said, pressing closer to him.“But perhaps we can make a trade.”Her lips just barely brushed his.“My heart for yours.”

 His grin grew almost impossibly wide.“Darling, you’ve had mine since the moment I first saw you.” Unable to resist any longer he pressed his lips more firmly to hers and pulled her flush against him, and in the time that followed they shared much more than just their hearts.

 ~~~  


 There you have it, dear readers: the story of the Golden Arrow.I hope you enjoyed hearing of this adventure of the Mighty Marksman and his Avengers, and worry not for there are always more tales to tell.Like there was this one time where the five men had to clothe themselves in dresses to escape the clutches of the evil Sheriff.But that is a story for another time. 


End file.
